Limerence
by Song of the Lark
Summary: Six months. Six months of seeing her smiling face. Six months of having her in his arms. Six months before he has to send her back to Japan. Kail is supposed to have six months, but now, he has no time at all. It seems he is not destined to stay with the woman he loves.


Six months. Six months of seeing her smiling face. Six months of having her in his arms. Six months before he has to send her back to Japan. Kail is supposed to have six months, but now, he has no time at all. He almost feels cheated.

But there is nothing he can do. With Egypt and Arzawa launching a simultaneous attack on both sides of the empire and no suitable leader to command his troops, Kail just has to send Yuri. She is the only one who can deal with Arzawa while he stands against Egypt.

It seems he is not destined to stay with the woman he loves.

Now, they stand over an army of three thousand soldiers, who are each equipped with either a sword, spear, or a set of bow and arrows. Red lion banners wave in the air and the roar of the crowd is almost deafening.

Yuri is mounted atop Aslan, her dark maned steed, and, dressed in military garb with her hair tied back to keep from falling in her eyes, she looks strong and sure of herself even when he can clearly see the disappointment and longing in her expressive eyes. She hides it well though; negative emotions can affect troop moral should the soldiers notice.

Kail stands beside her on the ground and rests a hand on Aslan's back. "Yuri..." he starts, "when you return to Hattusa, I'll be in Ugarit. I won't be here when it's time for you to leave." Kail watches her face carefully, and he can see the worry in her eyes. He is quick to reassure though. "I will have another priest assist in your departure – my half sister, the priestess of the third temple. You can trust her."

A pause. His heart thumps painfully in his chest.

Then: "I wish you a safe return to Japan."

 _Please stay._

He bites his tongue and keeps the words at bay. It is his only wish, but one he cannot express. Because how can he possibly ask her to give up her family, her Japan, her era for him? He can't. Even as a king, he's never had power over her or her decisions. And she has made her choice.

Yuri opens her mouth to say something but then shuts it. She closes her eyes and gives her head a slight shake as if to erase whatever she was about to say. When she reopens her eyes, Kail sees a complicated look in them – worry, dread, and a whole other mess of emotions that he wishes he had more time to analyze.

"Your majesty, I part with you today" – Kail can't help the sharp stab of pain through his chest at her words any more than he can help the flutter of his heart when Yuri reaches a small hand over to him and caresses his face with a feather-light touch – "but I will leave in your hands the fate of the orient."

And then her lips descend on his and they share one final kiss. She rests her hand on the back of his neck and pulls him close, her lips molding against his. It is a familiar kiss, like the dozens they've shared before, but there's a bittersweetness to this one that separates it from the rest.

Kail shuts his eyes and he tries to trick himself into believing that she isn't going for good, that this isn't really the _last_ time, but all too soon, the kiss ends and they pull away from each other. They look at one another, long and hard, trying to memorize the minute details of the other's face.

 _I love you_.

The words are on the tip of his tongue but he swallows them down. It's mainly for his own sake that he does this because he knows that if he says those three little words out loud, the reality of it will just seem more _real_. And how can he say when it means presenting his heart on a silver platter only to have her turn it away? So he doesn't say it. If nothing is said, he can pretend it was never there. So he never says it.

Yuri turns her head away and says in a voice just above a whisper, "It's time I left."

But before she can nudge Aslan to start moving, Kail is struck by a sudden urgency and grabs her hand to pull her down a bit. She looks surprised that he does, probably thinking that everything that needed to be said was already out in the air.

He lets go of her arm and pulls out a jeweled headband, which he wraps around her head and clasps closed in the back to prevent it from falling off.

"Is this...?" Her hand flies to her forehead and touches smooth leather.

"Wear it...this is my headband. I had it adjusted to fit you."

Yuri looks at him for a long moment, and her eyes shine glassy with tears. She turns away, refusing to look at him any longer, and grips the reigns tightly in her hands. "Troops of the Hittite Empire! To Arzawa!"

 _Don't go._

She prods Aslan to move and they canter away, never to be seen again.

His heart is already aching for her.


End file.
